Do you know of any planets that might have giant, dinosaur-sized megafauna?

Numerous planets have one or more species of animal (native or immigrated) that can get very big, but I don’t know of any where that’s a defining characteristic of the lifeforms there. Like Earth, most planets have megafauna as well as smaller species, and many have ones that are dinosaur-sized (although I suppose it depends on which dinosaur…)

One of the best examples might be Tatooine, with a number of massive species such as banthas, dewbacks, rontos, sarlaccs, rancors (rare on Tatooine) and krayt dragons. You will also find large animals on pretty much any jungle world; Dagobah has giant swamp slugs and dragonsnakes, Endor has gorax and boar-wolves, Yavin 4 has runyips. Also worth noting would be Bespin, home to absolutely huge animals such as the beldon (which can grow up to 10km in diameter) and the velker, and Naboo, with giant aquatic animals as well as mammals such as falumpasets and fambaas. Basically, you’re likely to find something big on just about any planet. 

I hope one of those works!

~ Jacen

Hello! Are there any good sources for population/demography stats for Lothal during the Thrawn novel and Rebels? Population size, percent of population by species and gender, etc. Wookiepedia is less helpful here than I’d hoped. :(

I’m sorry, I can’t find a source for that information. Statistics like that

generally aren’t published, it’s usually just a straight population count and a list of species inhabiting the world. However, I know there are guidebooks that have come out recently, so if anyone owns one and happens to know the answer feel free to add!

~ Jacen

for when you get back – I can’t find any estimates of the size of the rebellion either in general or specifically at echo base and was wondering if you knew of complement estimates for the rebellion, the empire, or specific bases?

Sorry this took so long to answer! (I am back now but I’ve been very busy catching up on work.) Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any specific estimates for the size of the Rebellion, although if you had a specific time period or battle in mind that would be easier, since their resources vary greatly depending on the general time. Estimates for the size of the Empire as a whole are often very vague because it was such a massive organization. But I do have the approximate complements at Echo Base:

The base housed about 7500 combat/command personnel and 350 medical, plus 120 droids, and had room in its hangar for at least 30 GR-75 medium transports, 6 Kleeque-class transports, 60 starfighters (T-65 X-wings and BTL Y-wings), 12 snowspeeders, and a few civilian and mercenary freighters (including the Millennium Falcon). In addition, the base included a v-150 Planet Defender ion cannon and a large number of blaster cannons, laser cannons, and anti-infantry laser batteries, as well as multiple anti-vehicle laser cannon towers. (Many of these were lost in the Battle of Hoth.)

I hope that helps! Feel free to send in another ask if you need more information!

~ Jacen

Hi! I’m thinking about maybe doing a set of tumblr posts where two characters exchange messages. What device would they use to send text-like messages to each other? And how would I format it? Thanks for any help!

So sorry for the delay, Hawaii kept me much busier than I thought! When it comes to text-like communication, things get a bit confusing. It seems like the HoloNet, the network used to send communications back and forth across the galaxy, could transmit messages between two people in two ways: more of a forum type of thing, or as something akin to an email. (Of course, you can also have a vocal conversation or talk to someone as a hologram, but these aren’t text-based.) The forums work pretty much like ours, so if you ever wanted a group chat sort of thing you could go with that. For text-based HoloNet communications between two individuals, it becomes unclear exactly how it works. We know of one HoloNet service called Imperial.emp in which people had their own contact addresses (Vader’s was rumoured to be vader@imperial.emp, which leads me to believe it was intended to function like email), so I can only assume that this is the closest thing to a texting system that the HoloNet has. I don’t know of a canonical format for either the forums or the individual messages. I also don’t know of any device that has been explicitly said to be able to send and receive text-based messages. Supposedly, anything with a keyboard and the necessary equipment to interface with the HoloNet could do it. 

Outside the HoloNet, some planets/sectors/cities had their own communications networks in which people could transmit messages to other individuals. If both your characters are in the same general area, this would be the closest thing to a text message. However, by far the best way to get a message across the galaxy in any reasonable amount of time is by using the HoloNet, so if they’re a great distance apart you will want to stick to HoloNet services. Of course, you don’t have to stick to any of this canon stuff, especially since you will probably be making up your own format either way. 

I hope that helps!

~ Jacen

What is the difference of missions between Naval TIE pilots and Military TIE pilots? And also, if you can, is there a certain branch that ISB Agents control or does it differ on the mission assigned to them? [Bless you if you can answer these and have a great week!]

I believe you mean navy pilots and army pilots? All starfighters in the Empire were considered part of the Starfighter Corps, which operated under the Imperial Navy, and so every TIE fighter is a Navy vessel. However, some TIEs were assigned to ground operations; these pilots reported to an Imperial Army garrison commander, and were technically a division of the Army. Their job was to fly support during battles on the ground. For example, during the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One you can see several different kinds of Imperial starfighters engaged in dogfights near the surface of Scarif. They were stationed on the planet, and served to aid the soldiers and AT-ACTs on the ground. Regular Navy pilots operated in space and did all the things we see in the films, basically. 

ISB did not control any particular branch of the military, but they appeared to have a lot of power within it. High-ranking agents seemed to be able to commandeer pretty much anything, from stormtrooper squads to Star Destroyers. Agents were sometimes attached to a fleet, and sometimes they worked alongside Naval intelligence and operated under the command of the Navy. How ISB fit into the military hierarchy is pretty ambiguous, but it’s clear they essentially had authority wherever they went, in both the Army and Navy. 

I hope that helps!

~ Jacen

Are there any examples of falconry (or a similar practice involving a different falcon-like animal) existing in Star Wars? If not, what would be a good alien animal to sub in for a falcon?

Twirrling was a sport practiced by nobles in the galaxy, originating on Naboo, that is based on falconry. Usually, the participant would ride a gualama and send the twirrl, taking the place of a falcon, to catch small prey. I suppose there’s no reason other birds of prey couldn’t be used, such as the spire falcon, native to Coruscant, but their trainability is mostly unknown. 

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

Can you dream up/ think of any scientific or technological development that you wish was in the SW universe? Could be live action or animated, doesn’t matter. Sometimes I wish they had better adapted medical tech cause space is terrifying and I worry 😂

I always find myself wishing that the HoloNet worked more like the modern-day internet. It does bother me that it seems to be either uncommon or difficult to do stuff akin to visiting a website or looking something up on Google. It would be a difficult part of canon to change now, since it started before the internet really worked that way, but it feels weird to have to work around it!

~ Jacen